Boko pockets bragging rights
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday August 8, 2022 06:00
Like or hate him, UDC president Boko has been the busiest and consistent politician in the country lately, taking every moment seriously.
He has been preaching a message of hope to all and sundry that the UDC project can benefit Batswana away from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) ‘misrule’.
Although the UDC project has been dogged by controversy after controversy with the recent suspension of its deputy president also president of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Dumelang Saleshando, and the party secretary-general, Goretetse Kekgonegile, Boko feels the UDC project remains viable.
During that spur of the moment, the BCP would also fire five legislators for defying its leadership in favour of the UDC.
The BCP conference in Mahalapye gave the unity process about six months for Boko to change his leadership style especially on issues of tolerance and internal democracy; otherwise, they will bolt out of the coalition.
The 2019 poor performance of the UDC at a time when the opposition coalition was tipped to oust the ruling BDP from power still haunts him.
Boko didn’t take kindly to his party’s poor performance so much that he took the risk of protesting the results of some constituencies citing irregularities, albeit he lost all the court challenges with huge costs. He had contested Gaborone Bonnington North constituency in 2019 polls and could not successfully defend it as BDP’s Annah Mokgethi sailed through instead.
Now, Boko has taken charge of the by-election campaigns and has been delivering positive results. It was particularly at Bophirima in the Gaborone Bonnington South constituency that the UDC pulled the rug under the feet of the BDP, as it was the favourite to win the by-election.
The BCP, a once committed ally of the UDC contested Bophirima by-election in partnership with a newfound partner-the Alliance for Progressives (AP) against the UDC and lost. The BCP’s main reason for abandoning the UDC arrangement was that it felt cheated as it claimed Bophirima was rightfully theirs.
Despite challenges manifesting in the UDC, Boko and the other UDC leadership members chose to stick with what they call, ‘the people’s project’ and are now reaping the rewards of their patience.
In the weekend results, the UDC beat the BCP at its stronghold in the Francistown-West constituency with a margin of only five votes.
This, by any measure is a telling tale that the UDC is steadily gaining ground.
The UDC candidate, Gift Tebo garnered 339 votes whilst BCP’s Mmoloki Wairi got 334 votes. The BDP’s Ngwisiwa Ntogwa trailed with 110 votes.
The votes polled show that the opposition collective could have scored overwhelmingly against its common target, the ruling party if they had approached the weekend polls as a united force.
In all the ward by-elections that his party continues to win, Boko has clearly played a leading role in ensuring that his party garners sufficient votes for victory. He is always the last man at the podium aggressively canvassing for support. He also does walkabouts where he interacts with the grassroots and his magical house-to-house campaigns have been on point.
Opposition parties so far have won a solid 11 wards in by-elections since 2019 general election leaving the ruling party with only three wards to its credit.
As the president of opposition partners of Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and the now shaky BCP, Boko definitely pockets the bragging rights as the strength of the UDC has been tried and tested twice in by-elections contesting against amongst others, the BCP.The party had won other by-elections prior to the two mentioned jointly with the BCP during happier times.
UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa told Mmegi this week that the continuous victories of the coalition in by-elections are not about what the party president or leadership was doing right, but it was people-centred.
For him, the masses have the answers and have started a journey to regime change.
“The chickens are coming home to roost. In 2019, the UDC was concerned about massive vote-rigging that denied the UDC of the requisite elections victory and we have been watching the elections processes in the by-elections to ensure that there is no rigging,” Mohwasa told Mmegi in an interview.
He attributes the victories to the masses that receive the UDC messages very well and believing that despite the challenges dogging the coalition partners the party carries their hopes for regime change.
“People want regime change and the only vehicle they can use with so much footprint they can trust, is the UDC. People know that if they try to pursue any other opposition arrangement, it will further cause vote-splitting,” he added.